Now, Let's Get To Work
by averagetoaster
Summary: Jeremy Heere cannot do it. Taking the Upgrade would mean he would lose his friend of twelve years, and Jeremy isn't ready to throw away something so valuable to him. Maybe, if he just goes on like everything is normal, everything will be just fine. Upgrading isn't all that important to his popularity, anyways. It's not like the Squip could do anything to change his mind, right?
1. Chapter 1: Freedom, Finally

" _Remember, Jeremy. The 'Upgrade' option is available whenever you're ready, which I urge you to be as soon as possible."_ A man wearing a slimming black suit and tie floats alongside a young boy about sixteen years old. The man, with his sleek facial hair and an aura that absolutely oozes coolness, looks eerily similar to Keanu Reeves. But as much as he looks like a late-90's/early-2000's movie star, his voice is harsh and robotic He puts a finger to his chin, deep in thought, and opens his mouth as if to say something, but stops himself.

The boy, Jeremy, pauses for a moment. He seems unable to think of the words to say- er, think. The constant intrusions of the Squip on his mind can be tiresome, but it's a far better way of communicating than saying everything out loud. Since Jeremy is the only one who can see or hear the Squip, it's much less awkward for him to just direct his thoughts towards the bot, although it can lead to some long periods of silence when he tries to listen to both the Squip and people in the real world at the same time. 'I know, it's just that…'

" _That…?"_ The Squip floats closer to the teen, staring down at him expectantly. Jeremy feels a slight sense of unease, as if any answer he gives will just disappoint the Squip. He does his best to quiet his mind, as to not give himself away, and chooses his next words carefully.

'I can't just… betray Michael like that. I've known him for twelve years, now. I can't just give all of that up so quickly.'

" _I see."_ The Squip falls silent for a while, probably to complete some calculations. Jeremy doesn't pay it any mind. In fact, he's kind of relieved that his mind is finally silent. The Squip soon has an intrigued look on his face, his brow furrowed as he focuses on something Jeremy isn't able to discern.

Unfortunately, this silence only lasts for a moment.

"Hey, uh, are you okay, Jer? You seem to be spacing off a bit." Another boy, one slightly shorter than Jeremy, taps him on the shoulder. This teen is wearing a look of deep concern, as well as a red sweatshirt that looks far too big for him and a pair of large silver headphones.

"Hm?" Jeremy had completely forgotten Michael is there with him. Walking home from school. A normal Friday afternoon. Jeez, he's been really out of it lately, but this is inexcusable. The Squip raises an eyebrow, but doesn't say anything. "Oh, I- I'm fine! Don't worry about me."

Michael isn't convinced. He shoots Jeremy an incredulous look and speeds up his pace to walk beside his friend. "You know I can tell when you're lying."

The taller teen brushes it off. "Michael, it really isn't a big deal. I'm just…"

" _Vague excuse."_

'I don't need your help for this!' Jeremy is administered a quick shock to the spine. He jerks involuntarily, nearly tripping over his own feet.

"OW! I'm- I'm just tired, all right?" That came out a bit harsher than intended, but it got the point across. Jeremy rubs the back of his neck and continues walking.

Michael casts Jeremy a worried look, but doesn't press the issue further. Jeremy really has been acting strange since he's gotten the Squip. Michael doesn't know much about the technology at all; Google hasn't turned up so much as a single forum post about the damned things, but he isn't sure this whole thing is great for Jeremy's mental health. Physically, he's in the best shape he's been in, well, his entire life, but that doesn't necessarily mean everything is peachy.

The Squip floats directly in front of Jeremy, as if to block his path. " _I'm starting to get the feeling you don't want me around. It would be better for both of us if you immediately rid yourself of that mindset."_

'It isn't like that. I just need some time to process everything, all right?' The taller teen is momentarily stunned, but he waves his hand through the Squip and continues walking. Right. He's a hologram. Walking through him is about as difficult as walking through an open doorway.

The Squip simply turns and follows the boy. _"Think about it, Jeremy. If you want to take things to the next level with Christine, we need to act before it's too late. Unless you would rather be a loveless, lonely, lamentable loser for the rest of your life…"_

Jeremy huffs in annoyance. 'I never said that! I only-'

Michael swiftly cuts him off. "Maybe we can get your mind off all this. Maaaybe we can go to the mall and clear your head, hm?"

"Oh, uh, yeah! There _is_ a new record shop I've been itching to check out," Jeremy says.

Michael's eyes light up with excitement. "Right? I was thinking the exact same thing! Do you think they have the new-"

"Biff Maverick vinyl? I wouldn't exactly call it new, since it came out-" Jeremy easily matches his friend's level of excitement. Maybe things wouldn't be so bad, after all. If he just continues to refuse the Upgrade, and finds a way to force his Squip to keep the Optic Nerve Blocking off, maybe he could be both popular and friends with Michael. Nothing would have to change.

The shorter of the two cuts the other off without missing a beat. "In the eighties, I know, I know. But it's new to me, at least. They just released the remastered version!"

"Man, I can't wait! My collection has been getting pretty dusty lately," Jeremy says.

"We'll definitely check it out." Michael pauses for a moment, and his expression changes to something in between cautious and almost anxious. He puts one hand on Jeremy's shoulder. "You're not gonna bail on me like last time, though, right?"

Jeremy pauses, waiting for any objection from his Squip. To his surprise, the bot announces, _"Non-committal agreement."_

Jeremy pauses for a second, unsure if he heard that correctly. 'So you're actually going to let this happen? No objections?'

" _Think of it as a learning experience. This will show you exactly how your life will turn out without the Upgrade."_ The Squip is facing away from Jeremy, so his expression is unknown to the teen. He briefly considers calling out to the bot, but decides not to push his luck.

Still a bit uneasy, Jeremy gives his response to Michael. "I'll try my best, okay? Just stick by my side, and I'm sure no girls will bother us."

The shorter teen lightly slugs Jeremy in the arm. It isn't enough to hurt very much, but Jeremy still rubs his arm where he was hit. Michael gives a half-joking response. "Ouch, dude. There's no need to be so harsh."

"I'm just messing with you." Jeremy throws an arm around his friend. "Come on, let's get going."

After a quick ride in Michael's P.T. Cruiser, with the Squip staying strangely silent aside from a few quips here and there, the two arrive at the mall nearest to their neighborhood. Since it's so close to the weekend, the mall is absolutely crawling with families shopping for Halloween costumes, college students home for the weekend, and more importantly, teenagers who go to Michael and Jeremy's school. With any luck, they won't run into anyone they know, so the Squip won't force Jeremy to put on some sort of show to impress them.

" _I know what you're thinking, and I'm not going to force you into anything you're uncomfortable with."_ The Squip interrupts Jeremy's thinking, floating in between him and Michael as they walk.

But Jeremy isn't convinced. 'No? Not even if someone like Brooke or Chloe shows up again?'

The Squip is quick to respond. _"You need to learn exactly what will happen if things stay as they are. I'll only forcefully intervene if things become… irreversibly out of your favor. Don't expect you'll be getting off scot free, though. I'll still be giving you minor instruction throughout."_

Jeremy audibly sighs in relief, then realizes how strange that must look to an outsider, sighing for no reason. He covers it up as a cough, then walks with Michael to the local hipster record store.

As if an afterthought, the Squip offers one last comment. _"Get, ready, Jeremy. We have much work to do."_

Ignoring the steadily growing sense of foreboding in his chest, Jeremy steps into the shop with Michael at his side.


	2. Chapter 2: Like A Broken Record

" _Just a tip; if you don't want to waste all of your money on useless pieces of plastic, you might want to limit your spending."_ The Squip floats quietly over Jeremy's right shoulder, disdainfully glaring at any record Jeremy takes notice of. The taller of the two teens heads towards the back of the store, where obscure 80's rock albums are usually kept. Michael idles nearby, leafing through album upon album of old-school rap.

Jeremy doesn't pay the Squip much mind; he's used to others looking down on his hobbies, after all. Listening to old records isn't exactly considered 'cool' by his classmates. Not to mention, the not-safe-for-work lyrics and rock-influenced instrumentals cause his dad to view him more as a mischief-maker than a music connoisseur. 'I wouldn't call it useless. Music is good for relieving stress, you know? That, and wasting time when there's nothing better to do.' He grabs a 'Steamed Ham' album, then skims through the songs list, mentally weighing the cost of the album against how much enjoyment he would get from listening to it.

" _And I can do that manually just as easily. I'm in control of your brain, remember? For example, I could do this."_ The Squip snaps his fingers, and Jeremy instantly feels every vertebrae in his spine stiffen to the point where he can't move in the slightest. The teen frantically attempts to move a leg, or arm, or finger, or _anything_ but his limbs retain an almost corpse-like rigidity. _"Or this."_ The Squip snaps his fingers again, andJeremy's vision is then bombarded with lights so bright he can't stand to keep his eyes open for more than a few seconds. Just as suddenly as he had lost the ability to move, his body is allowed to move freely again. Jeremy brings a hand to his face to shield his eyes, but it does little to stop the light from bombarding him. He quickly squeezes his eyes shut, stumbling a bit and knocking over a few records in the process, much to the chagrin of the store's cashier. _"Or even-"_

'I get the point!' The lights settle down, and Jeremy hurriedly stoops down to pick up the fallen records. Just as he places them back on their display, the Squip snaps his fingers for a third time. Jeremy braces himself, placing one hand on a nearby shelf in case the Squip decides to shut off his legs, or something.

" _I was about to say… this."_ Jeremy instantly feels an intense warmth wash over him. The teen's worries float away with each breath he takes, and after a few seconds he finds himself so relaxed that he's hardly aware of where he is anymore. His grip on the shelf loosens involuntarily, his hands feeling slightly numb, as if filled with tufts of cotton. Jeremy tries to raise the hand to his face, but his eyes lose their focus and he can only think about laying on the ground and taking a nap, possibly for forever. He feels as if he could go on this way for forever, at the very least. As if everything would be alright, and he wouldn't have to deal with being bullied or looking uncool in front of girls or his terribly low self-esteem ever again.

Michael's voice snaps him out of his daze. "Are you sure you're okay? Look, if this Squip is doing something weird to your head, maybe it's best if we- I dunno, figure out a way to tone it down?" The shorter teen places a hand on the other's shoulder. It looks like Jeremy's freakout had drawn him over.

" _Disdainful disagreement."_ The Squip snaps his fingers one final time, and everything is back to normal. The sudden change makes Jeremy feel as if he's been plunged into a pool of freezing water. It takes a moment for him to gather his thoughts, and he soon finds himself able to speak coherently.

"Look- you can't possibly understand how this _feels._ It's like…" He pauses for a moment, then continues, prompted by the Squip. "I don't have to worry about making the wrong move, or saying the wrong thing. I don't have to overanalyze any small gesture or wonder if I could've done something better, or different. For the first time in my life, there's no… pressure." He speaks quietly, his voice almost a whisper.

"You're starting to creep me out, Jer." Michael takes a timid step backwards. The Squip has the faintest traces of a smile on his face. His voice rings out with an almost smug sense of satisfaction.

" _Reverse the accusation, then change the subject."_

"Maybe you just can't accept that fact that I'm finally making something out of my life." Jeremy sighs. "Look, they have a 'Hometown Boy' album on sale. You've been pining after that one for a while, right?"

"Yeah, but…" Michael opens his mouth to say something, but decides against it. He turns his gaze towards the floor. He speaks after a second, sheepishly. "Nevermind. You want to grab some Taco Bell after this?"

" _Make it Subway, unless you want to wreak havoc on your digestive system. I honestly don't know how you were able to survive while eating that for so long."_

Jeremy shrugs. 'I'm a teenager. My diet is, like, 80% garbage and 20% cheese.'

" _Just answer."_ The Squip sighs, bringing a hand to rub his temple.

The taller teen clears his throat and turns to face Michael. "I'd rather go to Subway. Last time I went to Taco Bell, I'm pretty sure I saw someone abandon their child? Anyways, I'm kinda in the mood for a sandwich."

Michael nods, understandingly. "Yep, that sounds like Taco Bell. Subway sounds fine, though. Um, I'm going to look at the clearance section." He then hurries himself to another section of the store, leaving Jeremy alone for the time being.

As soon as Michael leaves his line of sight, the Squip takes his place, standing in front of Jeremy with his arms crossed. _"Are you sure this relationship is worth saving?"_

The teen is taken aback. 'If you're implying we're a couple or something, tha-'

The bot raises a hand, silencing him. _"If that were the case, this would be a whole lot easier. But right now, we need to focus. Are you absolutely certain your friendship with Michael is worth holding yourself back?"_

'I wouldn't say he's holding me back…' Jeremy breaks eye contact with the Squip, shifting his gaze to the floor.

The Squip holds his other hand flat and raises it, forcing Jeremy's gaze back towards him. _"Think about it, Jeremy. Ever since he found out about me, he's been critical of your every action. He's so resistant to even the slightest change that he can't stand to see you improve yourself."_

The teen frowns. 'He's just worried about me. You _have_ been making me look kind of insane aroun-"

" _But he hasn't said a single thing about any of the positive change that's come from this. In case you haven't noticed: since I showed up you've had experience with the opposite sex, people actually greet you as you pass by them, and Rich is out of the equation entirely."_ The bot draws closer to Jeremy until he's looming only a few inches away from him.

Still a bit uneasy, Jeremy tries his best to hold the Squip's gaze. 'Maybe he cares about more than my reputation.'

Without so much as a second of hesitation, the Squip responds. _"He doesn't care about_ _ **you**_ _; he cares about the_ _ **idea**_ _of you. He only wants someone to play video games with and rant about his problems to. Why else would be so upset when you're finally popular and unable to spend so much time around him?"_

'That can't be right. Michael isn't like that.' The teen mumbles, more to himself than to the bot.

" _Jeremy, listen closely."_ The Squip places a hand on Jeremy's shoulder with a gentleness the teen didn't think he was capable of. _"I'm a supercomputer. I have more processing power in my- albeit digital- pinky finger than the entirety of NASA when they sent man to the moon. I can compute any complex equation in a fraction of time of even the smartest mathematician on Earth. I was programmed specifically to analyze information and form logical conclusions on possible outcomes with a 100% success rate. Your friendship has no meaning outside of a way to fight boredom."_

Jeremy stays silent for a moment, obviously hurt, but still not entirely convinced of everything the Squip said to him. He furrows his brow and stares down at his shoes, but the bot doesn't stop him this time. A few more moments pass, but Jeremy can't find the words to say.

" _Think about it."_ The Squip takes a step back. _"When you're ready to face the facts, we can talk. You should consider taking my being here seriously from now on."_

Just as soon as the words have left his mouth, Michael comes up to Jeremy with about half a dozen records in his hands. "Hey, Jeremy! I'm just about ready to check out. You almost done?"

Still not completely paying attention, Jeremy tries his best to act normal. "Hm? Oh, yeah, nearly."

"Man, they got the coolest shit here! I found a vintage 'Headsoft Tryhard' album- this'll go perfectly with my collection!" With sparkling eyes, the shorter teen pulls out an album with an image of a crushed soda can inside of a crushed garbage can on the cover.

Jeremy feigns enthusiasm. "Yeah, that's- really cool."

"After this, we can go back to my place and chill. It'll be just like the good old times. Well, if old times are just over a month ago." A wide grin breaks out on Michael's face. "But, dude, you have _no idea_ how boring it was trying to jam to 80's synth-rock all on my own."

Jeremy tries his best to act cheerful, but he can't escape the sneaking suspicion that maybe the Squip is right. Maybe, after all their years of friendship, Michael only sees Jeremy as nothing more than a way to pass time. Or worse, Michael could just be hanging around Jeremy because he feels obligated to, and gaming is the only way to make it bearable. Sure, it isn't the most logical explanation, but the thought is still there.

After buying a few albums each, Jeremy having significantly fewer than Michael, the pair walk out of the record store and towards the food court of the mall. It's the perfect time for an afternoon snack, and the hall is buzzing with people. Each and every table is filled with a range of people, from families with crying infants to teenagers with a bad case of the munchies. Over the flood of chatter, cries, cheers, and casual conversation, it's difficult to hear someone standing even five feet away. The teens head for the Subway, slightly disheartened by the line that wraps around the front of the sandwich shop.

"Oh, hey! Jeremy!" Cutting through the noise, a high-pitched squeal rises somewhere to Jeremy's right. Holding a violet smoothie in one hand, a short, preppy-looking girl with shimmery blonde hair steps out from a line of people and rapidly approaches the two teens. She's clutching a few bags from various stores, as well as a flowery blue Vera Bradley purse.

Michael stares at the girl for a moment, then turns back to Jeremy, the confusion clear on his face. "Is that Brooke? What does she want with you? She always _hated_ you."

"Well, it's… complicated." Jeremy rubs the back of his neck. He _really_ isn't in the mood to be dealing with this right now, but… Jeremy feels like he should take the Squip's advice, and man up. If he wants to become popular, he needs to start making his way up the social pyramid, and befriending Brooke is enough to bring him up a few steps. He needs to start taking this whole situation seriously. As much as he wants to walk away and pretend he never saw her, Jeremy takes a deep breath and waves to Brooke.

Brooke scurries over to the pair and drops her bags, then latches onto Jeremy's right bicep. She doesn't seem to notice Michael, or if she does, she doesn't mention him. "Hey, are you okay? You kind of ran off last time we were hanging out."

"I, um, it's kind of a funny story." Jeremy shoots a glance at Michael, as if to say 'Don't say anything' and awkwardly gives her a one-armed hug. He can't just tell Brooke about the Squip, or how he had spent the rest of that day hanging out with Michael over her. All the while, he shoots his Squip a frantic cry for help.

'All right, what am I supposed to do?'

The Squip has a strange sort of glint in his eye. He smiles, then turns away from Jeremy, one hand raised as if waving him away. _"As I told you before, I won't be helping you. This is a learning experience, remember? Good luck."_

And with that, the Squip takes a few steps forwards, seamlessly fading into the crowd of the food court. Jeremy is completely on his own this time.

"So, where did you go after you left the other day?" Brooke looks up at Jeremy, expectantly.

Jeremy stumbles over his words, trying to come up with a believable lie. "Well…"


	3. Chapter 3: Pinkberry

"I, um…" Jeremy freezes, frantically trying to think up an excuse. He can't exactly admit the truth without sounding insensitive. And lying without the help of the Squip will just send him down a rabbit-hole of fibbing that he'll never be able to climb out of. In the end, he decides to tell a half-truth; something believable, but nothing incriminating.

"I wasn't feeling like myself. You know, with all the stress of school, and… you know…" He searches for an end to the sentence, but fails to come up with anything.

Brooke responds without missing a beat. "Eminem, right? Oh my God, are you still upset about that?" She lightly traces her hand up and down Jeremy's arm. It's incredibly distracting.

Still, this is something Jeremy can work with. Taking a deep breath, and, hoping for the best, he says, "Right! Yeah, I've been a fan of him for as long as I can remember."

Michael pipes up behind him, clearly confused. "What? You never-" But he's quickly cut off as Jeremy stomps down on his foot. Ouch. It's not that his foot hurts much, but the fact that Jeremy would actively try to shut him up using violence hurts far more.

Jeremy spits out the first thing to enter his mind. " _I never_ thought something like that could happen. He was so… young." Eminem was like, kind of young, right? Young enough to still have a rap career, at the very least. Old people can't rap, especially old white people. But that's beside the point. Brooke is eating this up, her eyes filled with a look of pity.

"Oh, you poor thing! Well, maaaaaybe some frozen yogurt would make you feel better. You called a raincheck last time, right? I'll pay." Brooke sympathetically leans her head on Jeremy's arm, almost nuzzling him. She smells strongly of a floral perfume and mint. This only makes it harder for Jeremy to focus. "I was supposed to go with Chloe, but she kiiiinda abandoned me."

"Jeremy…" Michael gives him a look, as if to say, 'Don't you dare waste our one hang-out sesh on this girl you hardly know.' This is the first time they've been able to spend time together in what feels like forever, and not even an hour in Jeremy is already drooling over some girl he only really got to know in the last week, if at all.

Shifting his gaze between Brooke and Michael, Jeremy tries to find a solution that would appease both parties. He doesn't want to throw away his shot with Brooke, but he can't just leave Michael, either. "Well, I um… I'm kind of…"

"Kind of?" Brooke's tone is almost accusatory.

The teen gulps. Decision time. He can always hang out with Brooke some other time, right? The Squip might not let him see Michael again, at least not for a while. Surely Brooke will understand a guy wanting to hang out with his friends, right? Quietly, he finishes the sentence. "kind of… busy. Right now."

"Busy?" She stares at him, shooting a quick glance at Michael. Sure, she doesn't know the latter that well, but he could tag along, too. She isn't heartless enough to make him ditch his friend, or at least, that's what she's trying to imply. Chloe wouldn't like to see her hang around such a loser, but Chloe left her, so she can fuck right off with her judgmental opinions. Of course, Brooke would never say something like that out loud, but dropping hints is almost an artform to her.

Jeremy is completely oblivious to the implications behind any of this. As far as he can tell, Brooke is trying to make a serious move on him, and having another person around would be a no-go. "Yeah. Busy."

The girl pauses for a few moments, trying to think of a response. Most of all, she feels sort of left out. She isn't sure why Jeremy is so against spending any time with her, especially after he showed so much interest in her before. Was he leading her on? Did he get bored of her? Did he find another girl? Chloe, maybe? Whatever it is, she can't tell. "Look, if you don't want to hang out with me, you can just say so. I can tell you're trying not to hurt my feelings, but I don't want to play any games."

"No, Brooke, I wasn't-" Jeremy stumbles over his words.

"Jeremy, it's fine. Just- just don't waste my time, okay?" She turns away from him, then pauses, half-expecting the boy to run up and kiss her or monologue about how much she means to him, or something. She's seen it in _tons_ of romcoms, so it must be like that in real life, right?

Jeremy stays rooted in place. Almost tearful, Brooke grabs her bags and storms away, muttering something under her breath.

Right on cue, the Squip emerges from the crowd, a ghost of a smile on his lips. " _Boy, did you royally mess that one up. Not so easy on your own, now, is it?"_

The taller teen is absolutely dumbstruck at his own level of incompetence. 'What should I do, then?'

The Squip nonchalantly strolls around Jeremy in a circle, despite not having actual, physical feet. _"Well, if you want to go after her and leave Michael behind, I could-"_

'No. Out of the question,' Jeremy says, a look of determination on his face.

The Squip has a sour expression on his face. " _Fine. Let her go. Just don't expect things to go so well with Christine."_

Jeremy mentally throws his hands in the air, in exasperation. 'I have time. I'll be able to figure something out.'

" _Then you might want to get thinking, because she will_ _ **not**_ _forget about this so easily."_ With an angry huff, the bot goes back to examining data.

Jeremy is so absorbed in the conversation, he hardly notices when Michael grabs onto his shoulder and shakes him lightly. "Come on, dude. Let's hit up Subway."

Still a bit concerned, Jeremy follows Michael to the nearby sandwich store. After ordering their food, Jeremy a simple ham and cheese sandwich, and Michael a meatball sub, the teens sit down at a slightly dirty two-person table.

Through a mouthful of meatballs, Michael tries to make some simple conversation with his friend. "You shouldn't even worry about her, Jer. I thought you had a thing for Christine, anyway. What ever happened to that?"

"It's… Squip stuff," Jeremy says, half-hiding behind his sandwich.

Michael furrows his eyebrows. "That doesn't sound like a good thing, you know. You've had a crush on Christine for, what, five years? I mean, I'd be kind of relieved if you didn't like her anymore, but then you'd be like a whole different person."

"It's not that I don't like her, but this Squip sort of messes with my head someti-"

" _You know I can hear you, right?"_ Shit. The Squip looms over the teen, his eyes shooting daggers.

Fear pierces Jeremy's chest. "Can we talk about something else?"

Michael pauses for a moment, just as concerned as ever, but eventually complies. "Um, sure! Sooo, what albums did you get?"

" _On your right."_

"On my right?" Jeremy says, momentarily forgetting to speak using his mind instead of his mouth.

"Is that a band? I've never heard of them before…" Michael then sees a figure walking by Jeremy from over his shoulder. He sighs deeply, then engrosses himself in eating his sandwich.

" _Talk to her. That's all I'm telling you. Good luck."_ Again, the Squip fades away, leaving Jeremy with only his own voice in his head.

Jeremy turns his head to the right. Just a few feet in front of him, a girl wearing a patterned skater dress and a thick scarf walks by, carrying mostly-full bags from various book stores.

 _Christine._

She stumbles, her bags flying on all directions as she skids a few inches on the linoleum floor. She cries out with a sharp 'Oh, dear!' and attempts to get back on her feet. Jeremy can't help but wonder if the Squip had something to do with that, but honestly, it doesn't really matter.

Jeremy could help her. Sure, he doesn't want to leave Michael out in the cold, but Christine is an entirely different ballpark than Brooke. A different planet, even.

This is his chance.

Maybe he can finally have Christine.


	4. Chapter 4: Et Tu?

Jeremy scuttles over to Christine and begins gathering up the books she dropped. She tenses up for a moment, almost sure that somebody is trying to steal her stuff, before looking up and realizing that the person grabbing all her stuff is somebody from her school. And not just anybody, but one of the other cast members in the school's most recent play, "A Midsummer Nightmare About Zombies." Honestly, that's kind of relieving, especially since most of her books are "No Fear Shakespeare" adaptations of some of his most classic plays, and most people would see that as kind of dorky. If she had a nickel for every time somebody called her a 'teacher's pet' for coming to English class with her own copy of whatever Shakespeare work they were forced to study that year, she would have enough money to direct and produce her own production of the same play.

But Jeremy is in the play, so he's more likely to be understanding. Sure, she doesn't know him all that well, but he seems nice enough.

"Hey, Jeremy. Thanks for helping." Christine grabs a few books that fell close to her, then pulls herself to her feet.

Jeremy's heart skips a beat. He nearly drops all of the books he has in his arms, but he just barely manages to hold himself together. "Oh, yeah, no problem!" After collecting the remaining books and shoving them into one of the many bags scattered on the floor, he hands them to Christine.

The two stay silent for a few moments. Jeremy can't think of what to say. At all. For the first time in weeks, his mind is completely silent. Growing more desperate by the second, Jeremy blurts out the first thing that comes into his mind.

"Shakespeare, huh? You know, I heard he, um, invented the word… milk."

Behind him, Michael chokes on his drink, barely able to hold in a laugh.

Christine's eyes light up. "Skim milk, actually. But, I can totally understand the confusion. He also made the words tranquil and flawed and lackluster, and so many others! Almost 2000 in total, you know?"

"That's amazing. I mean, I like to think I'm good with English, but he just takes it to a whole nother level," Jeremy says.

The girl clasps her books to her chest, practically bouncing with excitement. "Oh, definitely. I mean, I can't always understand what his writing is about, but even the plots of his plays are so intricate and the humor is so in-depth with references to Greek mythology and ancient history and- I'm rambling, aren't I?"

"No, no, I totally understand where you're coming from!" Jeremy does not, in fact, understand where Christine is coming from. But he's never been able to have a full conversation with her before, and he can't ruin it by shooting down her interests.

Christine breaks into a wide grin. "I've been reading "Much Ado About Nothing" lately, and I absolutely love the whole 'green world' theme. Do you have any favorites?"

Was any of that even English? Jeremy struggles to find something to say. Shit, what plays did Shakespeare write? Romeo and Julia? No- Juliet. Damn it, he can't think straight.

"I mean, I've kind of been into "Tenth Night" recently," he mumbles.

Christine doesn't miss a beat in replying. "Twelfth Night? I've heard that one is super difficult to understand."

Wait, is that what that play is called? What does "Twelfth Night" even mean? What are the twelve nights for, Christmas? Why is Shakespeare so confusing? Jeremy opens his mouth to speak and hopes for the best. "Oh, yeah, but it's really not a big deal."

Now, he really has to drive it home. "There's this really cool gift shop right around the corner. It even sells little chocolate Shakespeares, if you want one. I mean, if you want me to, I could- get one- for, um," Wait, is he being too forward? Hopefully he doesn't come off as creepy or desperate.

Michael slurps his drink a bit more loudly than usual, as if to remind Jeremy that he still exists.

Christine doesn't notice the slurping, or if she does, she doesn't make any indication. "I mean, I have a bit of time before my ride gets here. Me and a few others of us in the play were going down to the outdoor theater for a bit to sort of scope it out. If you don't have anything better to do, you're free to tag along."

Michael slurps his drink loud enough for the two to hear him.

Christine is the first to look over at the shorter teen.

"Oh, um, are you- are you sure you're not busy? I completely understand if you are." Those two are a couple, right? With the way they always hang out, and the fact that Jeremy is involved in theater, she always sort of assumed so. That, and the fact that neither of them have had a girlfriend in possibly forever.

Jeremy quickly glares at Michael, then shifts his focus back to the girl. "Pffft, nah. I'm totally down to, you know, explore the… art of theater."

Michael rests his head on one hand, turning away from the two. Jeremy can't seriously be thinking about ditching him over a silly little crush, not when they haven't had so much as an hour to just chill in the last few weeks. Is twelve years of friendship really that worthless to him? And how much longer is this going to go on, anyway? Jeremy has been blatantly ignoring him in school; is he going to continue with that for the rest of the semester? Or maybe even longer?

Jeremy continues talking to Christine. "I mean, if you're on a time limit, we can check out the gift shop right now."

Fucking bullshit. This is all bullshit.

"That sounds great!" Christine shoots a quick glance over to Michael. He's facing away from her, so his face is indistinguishable. Still, she can tell things aren't exactly peachy. Are he and Jeremy having a lover's quarrel, or something? Whatever it is, she doesn't want to get in the middle of it. Relationship drama is only fun in the theater world, not the real one. Maybe the two spending an afternoon away from each other will give them both some time to think.

"Perfect, let me just clear up my stuff." Jeremy heads back over to his table to collect the remnants of his sandwich so he can throw it in the trash. Just as he approaches the table, Michael sits up and gives him a cutting glare, one of a mix between disappointment and almost pleading for him to stay.

After a few moments of silence, Michael finally speaks. "Jeremy…"

The taller teen doesn't look his friend in the eyes. "Look, we'll be able to hang out some other time, alright? Don't make a big deal out of it."

"You say that, but I'm not entirely sure you're telling the truth," Michael says, quietly.

Jeremy furrows his eyebrows. "What, you don't trust me? Geez, I don't see what you're so up in arms about." He lowers his voice to a whisper. "This is probably the only time I'll have a chance with Christine, anyway."

Michael stumbles over his words, taken aback. "Well, well- _maybe_ I was actually looking forward to having a chance to hang out with you. _Maybe_ you shouldn't have promised that we were going to hang out if you can't commit."

"Jesus, chill out. It's only for one afternoon," Jeremy says, nonchalantly.

The shorter teen stares down at the table, his voice full of spite. "Do I suddenly not matter to you? What, am I too boring now that you're finally 'popular' or whatever?"

Jeremy throws up his hands in exasperation. "I never said anything like that. Maybe you're just _projecting-"_

"Or maybe you should stop lying to her! You could, I don't know, tell her the truth; that _you know nothing about Shakespeare!"_ Michael is nearly yelling now, both of his hands slammed down onto the table.

Christine stares at the two. She feels sort of awkward being there, like she shouldn't be watching or listening to them.

Jeremy can feel a blush rising on his cheeks. "Maybe _you_ need to learn to shut the hell up. If you're going to be so defensive about everything, you may as well _not even be here!_ "

The shorter teen instantly softens his voice. "I- wha-?" He backs down, withdrawing his hands and placing them in his lap.

But Jeremy holds steady. "You heard me. Any plans we had for today, just forget about them, alright? I'm going with Christine."

Michael covers his mouth with one hand, and turns away from Jeremy, seeming stunned into silence.

Jeremy gathers up his trash and walks away, glancing back at Michael one last time as he reaches the garbage bins across the food court. The teen has his head buried in his hands, his glasses tossed haphazardly on the floor next to him. Jeremy throws away the rest of his sandwich and walks back over to Christine, who has a slightly worried look on her face.

Just as Jeremy walks out of the food court with Christine, he sees the Squip walking towards him, clapping his hands slowly. The Squip has an almost wild look in his eyes, but seems strangely well-composed as he walks up to Jeremy and pats him on the back.


	5. Chapter 5: The Decision

With a smirk on his face, the Squip says, _"I'm honestly a bit surprised at how well you managed to pull that off on your own. You almost lost her in the middle there, though. 'Tenth Night?' What were you thinking?"_

Jeremy is a bit surprised at the Squip's praise. Usually, the bot spends his time chastising the teen and telling him how terrible he is, so a genuine compliment comes as a shock. But for now, back to business. 'Look, I got myself this far, alright? What else do I need to do?'

" _I suppose you have earned a reward for how well you've done. I could assist your next few interactions with Christine, but only if you make your final decision afterwards, of course,"_ The Squip says. _"The Upgrade will be simple; all you have to do is allow me to block Michael from your field of vision and direct you in your romantic and social lives."_ The bot pats him on the shoulder.

Jeremy brushes it off. The thought of not being allowed to see Michael puts him slightly on edge, but he decides to worry about that later. 'Right, right. And you're sure this is going to work?'

The Squip retreats, going back to floating by the teen's side. _"Remember, Jeremy, I can see probable futures. According to my calculations, the chance of you and Christine entering a relationship within the next six months is 99.7%, so long as you follow my instructions."_

That's honestly a lot higher than the teen thought it would be. The thought of being able to date Christine is thrilling, especially since he thought the whole thing was hopeless. But there's still one last thing on Jeremy's mind. 'But wasn't I supposed to start by dating Brooke?'

Without missing a beat, the Squip replies. _"All in due time. For the moment, you just need to focus on gaining Christine's trust, now that you have time alone with her. Think of this as… more of a side-quest, as you would put it."_

'Got it.' Jeremy pauses for a moment. Okay, maybe there is another thing bothering him. 'Do you think I was a bit too hard on Michael? He looked terrible after everything I said to him.'

The Squip dismissively waves a hand towards him. _"Not in the slightest. In fact, I would've recommended you use stronger language with him, but I obviously wasn't around to direct you."_

'I didn't want to hurt him…' The teen rubs the back of his neck, feeling a bit guilty. Despite knowing Michael for over a decade, he had rarely seen his friend seriously upset. And he had certainly never seen Michael cry in public, at least, not since the two were in Pre-K.

The Squip stares directly into his eyes, almost as if looking _through_ him _. "Pain is a necessary part of life, Jeremy. That's a lesson even you need to learn."_

A chill runs down the teen's spine. Slightly doubtful, he prepares to respond when Christine cuts him off. "So what's the name of the gift store? I don't think I've ever been to it before."

Back to reality. Jeremy takes a second to gather his thoughts. "The Enchanted Quill. Kind of a dorky name, I know, but they have some pretty cool stuff."

Christine's eyes light up. "Oh my God, I love cozy little stores like this."

The two enter the gift shop and are quickly greeted by the cheerful, elderly owner. The store is a flurry of literature, with gifts ranging from entire anthologies of classic series to keychains with the names of gothic authors on them. Soaps, ribbons, perfumes, and pens litter small tables around them, all themed around various writers and playwrights. A humble yet classy display is in the center of the store; a spotlight for the author of the month, who happens to be Neil Gaiman. He's the one who wrote about the creepy people with button eyes, right? That scared the shit out of Jeremy when he was a kid. He walks over to the display and leafs through a copy of "Coraline" before the Squip delivers a sharp shock to his spine.

" _Show her the Shakespeare section."_

Jeremy leads Christine to a section of the gift store comprised of Shakespeare books, Christmas tree ornaments, post-cards, stationary, chocolate figures, and a few other types of trinkets. The store is filled with natural light, giving a cheery look to the warm, yellow walls and deep blue carpeting.

Christine flutters between each of the aisles, bubbling with joy. Not surprisingly, she seems really into all of the Shakespeare merch. She soon finds herself standing in front of a rack of Shakespeare themed post-cards, each with a quote and a relating image on one side. "These little post-cards are _adorable._ I just love the quotes on them, too. _"_

" _Accessing Shakespeare Quotes Database…"_

Prompted by the Squip, Jeremy says, "Well, as a wise man once said, "To be a well-favoured man is the gift of fortune; but to write and read comes by nature.""

"Wait, I think I remember that one!" Christine snaps her fingers, trying to think. "Um, Verges? No, no! Dogberry! Am I right?"

Jeremy has no idea what he just said, or what the meaning is behind Christine's response, but the Squip guides his words. "Of course! Man, the watchmen have to be my _favorite_ part of Much Ado."

The girl smiles at him. She looks absolutely adorable. "I kinda like how sassy Beatrice is. She just doesn't take crap from anyone. I can really respect that, you know?"

Christine's phone emits a sharp beep. She pulls it out and checks it quickly, then turns to Jeremy. "Yikes. My ride is here, are you still down to come along with me? If the mall is still open, we could come back after."

He has two options to choose from.

One: He could accept the Squip's offer and spend his high school career popular and dating Christine. He wouldn't have to worry about Rich bullying him, or sitting alone at lunch, or being chosen last for group projects, or not having any experience with the opposite sex. He would finally get to know what it feels like to be wanted by others, and invited to parties on the weekends, and he would finally feel like something more than just a loser. But he would lose his friendship of twelve years with Michael. Michael had stuck with him through thick and thin, and had seen Jeremy at his very worst, and vice versa. Michael had almost become something of a brother to him; they told each other everything and spoke to each other on the daily in a language of inside jokes that only they could decipher. They've known each other for as long as he could remember, and Jeremy doesn't want to leave behind all the memories of them playing on the swings at recess in elementary school, or failing at pulling all-nighter sleepovers in middle school. Jeremy doesn't want to just give that up.

Or there's option two: He could go back to being friends with Michael and pretend nothing had ever happened. That would mean losing any chance of getting Christine, or any girl for that matter. He would lose the entirety of his popularity, and Rich would definitely go back to bullying him as soon as he lost the favor of the other popular students. This would also cause his Squip to become indignant, which would come with its own set of negative consequences. For one, he has no idea how to get the Squip out of his head, and Jeremy has a feeling the bot wouldn't take kindly to being ignored constantly. He could be alone possibly for the rest of his life, and would spend his high school career with one friend and bullying to look forward to every day. Between his parent's divorce, Rich pummeling him, and being a social outcast, all of his problems are almost too much to bear. High school is seriously shit, and college probably won't be much better. Especially since Michael may end up going to a different university than him, and they could be separated anyways.

The Squip places a hand on Jeremy's shoulder. _"So, have you made your decision?"_

Jeremy grins, a look of dauntless determination on his face. 'Optic Nerve Blocking, on!'

* * *

If you've made it this far, thank you for reading! I don't usually end my fics on a sad note, but this is meant to take place after 'Upgrade' and before 'Halloween,' so it's bound to be a bit sad anyways.  
Have a good one, y'all.


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